Emotion AI Analysis of Canva’s Video Ads: How Emotional Storytelling Drives Brand Connection and Creativity
How Canva’s Video Ads Use Emotional Storytelling to Inspire Creativity?
Canva has empowered millions to create everything from ads to social media posts. But have you ever noticed how their own video ads stand out? Through an insightful ad analysis using our Emotion AI tool, let’s uncover how these ads go beyond just promoting a tool—they tell a story.Canva’s video ads focus on human faces, bringing emotion and connection to the forefront. By leveraging the emotional appeal in advertising, these ads move beyond showcasing features to highlight the experience of creating something personal and powerful. They draw viewers in with relatable moments, making it feel like Canva is a platform for everyone, regardless of their design experience.
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Connecting Globally Through Localized Messaging and Brand Empowerment
What’s interesting is how Canva tailors its ads to resonate with local audiences. With campaigns like Canva Australia and Canva India, they script their messaging to reflect cultural nuances. Yet, despite these localized ads, the emotional connection transcends borders. The core message of empowerment and creativity speaks to a global audience, because, at the heart of it, emotion is universal.
In just 20-30 seconds, Canva communicates its core message: design is easy, creative, and accessible. By showing real people using the platform, Canva taps into the emotions of empowerment and creativity. They show that anyone can create professional designs, quickly and effortlessly.
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Let’s dive into the psychological analysis of Canva’s video ads using Imentiv AI.
Psychological Analysis of Canva’s TV Commercial: A Blend of Surprise, Happiness, and Epistemic Emotion
Canva’s TV commercial serves as a prime example of how emotional storytelling can captivate and engage an audience. It highlights surprise and happiness as the primary facial emotions while weaving in epistemic emotion—a deeper sense of curiosity, wonder, and discovery.
Together, these emotions resonate with key personality traits like openness (creativity and willingness to explore) and agreeableness (cooperation and connection). The ad effectively reflects Canva’s identity as a brand that is innovative, approachable, and empowering, positioning itself as the go-to platform for creativity.
Facial Emotions: Surprise and Happiness
This is Imentiv AI’s video emotion analysis dashboard. The actor's emotion is detected as surprise and the emotion graph on the right shows positive valence and arousal near the exciting range.
Surprise
Surprise is one of the first emotions viewers experience, making it an entry point for engagement.
Visual Manifestation
Characters display signs of surprise, such as wide eyes, raised eyebrows, open mouths, and gestures. These non-verbal cues are universal triggers for attention. The inclusion of such moments in the ad ensures it captures the viewer’s focus within seconds.Psychological Significance
Surprise functions as a "disruption cue," interrupting routine thought processes and encouraging engagement. It primes viewers for novelty and new ideas.In Canva’s commercial, this emotion underscores the theme of exceeding expectations. It suggests that Canva’s design tools are unexpectedly simple yet powerful, evoking a sense of delight in discovering something transformative.
Happiness
Happiness sustains the momentum of emotional engagement, leaving viewers with a positive impression of the product.
Visual Manifestation
The ad is filled with smiles, laughter, and cheerful interactions. The characters exude satisfaction and joy, reflected in their expressions and body language. The use of vibrant colors and uplifting music further amplifies this mood.
Psychological Significance
Happiness fosters a sense of trust and connection with the brand. It conveys that using Canva is not just a task but a rewarding experience.This positive reinforcement encourages viewers to approach the platform with enthusiasm and a sense of optimism, framing it as a tool that brings joy and ease to creative tasks.
Underlying Emotion: Epistemic Emotion
Beyond the surface emotions of surprise and happiness, the ad evokes epistemic emotions like curiosity, wonder, and discovery—critical for fostering deeper cognitive engagement.
Key Elements in the Commercial
- Visual Variety: The ad showcases an array of templates, fonts, and design options, sparking curiosity about the platform’s potential.
- Before-and-After Scenarios: Transformations from simple drafts to stunning, professional designs evoke wonder, suggesting that anyone can achieve impressive results with Canva.
- Ease of Use: The seamless demonstration of tools instills confidence, prompting viewers to think, "If they can do it, so can I."
Psychological Principle
Epistemic emotions align with the Curiosity-Exploration Model, which posits that humans are naturally drawn to tools or concepts that promise learning and mastery. Canva taps into this intrinsic drive, positioning itself not just as a design platform but as a gateway to exploration, creativity, and self-expression.See how HP's ad campaign resonates emotionally through our AI ad analysis
Personality Traits: Openness and Agreeableness
Canva’s commercial appeals to two significant personality traits that influence user behavior:
Openness
Traits: Individuals high in openness value creativity, enjoy exploring new ideas, and appreciate beauty and innovation.Appeal in the Ad:
- The vibrant and colorful visuals, along with diverse design options, resonate strongly with this trait.
- The call to explore limitless creative possibilities aligns with the exploratory nature of open-minded individuals, making the platform particularly attractive to this audience.
Agreeableness
Traits: Agreeable individuals prioritize kindness, cooperation, and social harmony.Appeal in the Ad:
- Features like collaborative design tools and shared projects highlight Canva’s potential to foster teamwork and connection.
- The depiction of helping others through design—whether for a business, community, or personal projects—strengthens the platform’s appeal to those who value meaningful contributions and cooperation.
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Blending Emotions: The Psychological Impact
The commercial’s emotional tone is a carefully orchestrated blend of surprise, happiness, and epistemic emotions, delivering a powerful psychological impact:
Attention Capture (Surprise)- By immediately evoking surprise, the ad hooks viewers and ensures the brand message stands out amidst competing stimuli.
Emotional Resonance (Happiness)- Sustaining engagement through joyful expressions creates a positive association, leaving a lasting impression on viewers.
Motivation to Act (Epistemic Emotion)- Curiosity and the desire to discover Canva’s full potential motivate viewers to take action, whether by exploring the platform or imagining their own creative projects.
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Psychological Principles at Play
The ad leverages several well-established psychological principles to enhance its effectiveness:
Aesthetic-Usability Effect
The visually stunning elements in the commercial suggest that Canva is not only practical but also enjoyable to use. This principle builds trust in the platform’s usability and appeal.Broaden-and-Build Theory of Positive Emotions
Positive emotions like happiness expand viewers’ thinking, encouraging them to consider Canva as a versatile tool for various creative endeavors.Self-Determination Theory (SDT)
By emphasizing autonomy (easy-to-use tools), competence (achieving professional results), and relatedness (collaborative features), Canva addresses core psychological needs, making the platform more appealing.Social Proof:
Testimonials and relatable characters in the ad serve as endorsements, building credibility and encouraging viewers to trust the brand.Key Findings from Imentiv’s Emotion Analysis of Canva’s Brand
Emotionally Driven Storytelling
Canva’s ads emphasize human faces and personal moments, creating an emotional connection that positions the brand as a platform for creative empowerment.
Effective Use of Positive Emotions
Surprise and happiness are dominant emotions detected, capturing attention and leaving a positive, lasting impression on viewers.Alignment with Creative Personalities
The ads resonate with traits like openness and agreeableness, appealing to individuals who value creativity and collaboration.Dynamic Emotional Engagement
Imentiv’s Emotion and Engagement Graph highlights shifts in emotion intensity and arousal, showing how Canva’s storytelling sustains audience engagement effectively.Ready to transform your video content with advanced emotion analysis?
Leverage our in-depth ad analysis with Emotion AI to understand audience engagement, optimize storytelling, and ensure your creative choices emotionally resonate with your audience.